Growing Garlic Articles

Although there are many reasons why garlic bulbs can end up being small at harvest, here are the 6 most common causes.....

Garlic a fairly easy crop to grow and tends to take care of itself without much effort. It has very few pests or diseases and often grows even when given little care. These positive characteristics, however, don't always guarantee that your garlic will produce good sized bulbs. The great news is that growing large bulbs isn't that difficult and can be achieved by following these 5 easy steps.....

Garlic is a heavy feeder and requires high soil fertility to perform at its best. When nutrients are at optimum levels, plant growth is healthy and bulb size is maximized. Poor soil fertility is one of the most overlooked factors affecting garlic bulb size..... 

Also, even though clay soils can be challenging to work with, garlic usually grows very well on them if conditions are managed properly. Due to their high fertility and consistent moisture availability, clay soils have the potential to grow some of the largest garlic bulbs possible.....

So it's springtime and your garlic has either survived the winter or was recently planted in spring - Now what? Most of us are excited to get out into our gardens or fields but are sometimes unsure as to what to start with. On our farm, there are three important things that we do every spring when caring for our garlic....

Garlic does not like to be too warm or too cold when in storage. The temperature should remain above 10⁰C (to prevent sprouting) and below 20⁰C (to prevent premature dehydration) with an ideal range of 13⁰C or 14⁰C. This means that you shouldn't store your garlic in a refrigerator.....

Using raised beds for growing vegetables has been around for thousands of years. People learned early on, that by building up the soil into mounds or beds, they could improve the growth of their crops.....

Inspecting and observing the garlic plants regularly is a very important job that is often put to the side for other demanding things. Every gardener and farmer knows how many tasks need attention during the growing season and it can be hard to get around to everything.....

Although garlic is ideally planted in the fall, it is still possible to grow and harvest beautiful bulbs if you miss planting before winter. The following tips are the most important things to consider when getting ready to plant garlic in spring......

The most, cold-hardy garlic varieties in the world are in the Hardneck group, of which there are several subgroups or families. Of these families, the Porcelain, Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe and Rocambole garlics tend to perform the best under normal Canadian growing conditions....

Growing garlic in Manitoba can be fun and easy with a bit of planning. Although the extreme growing conditions can sometimes make planting other vegetables a challenge, garlic thrives in the prairie region's cold climate.

It is not uncommon for a home gardener to try and plant garlic that they bought from the grocery store at some point. Most often, they are disappointed with the outcome because the garlic produces very small bulbs.....

In climates like Canada and the northern United States, planting garlic in the fall produces strong flavoured, hardy garlic bulbs that can grow to impressive sizes. With a bit of special attention, garlic can be planted and overwintered in almost any region, including the North. There are three important things to consider when planting garlic in the Fall.....

How do I know my garlic is ready to harvest? There is some debate among garlic growers as to the perfect time for harvesting, but there are four important guidelines to consider.....

Softneck garlic varieties tend to be some of the first garlic plants to emerge from the ground in spring. On our farm, this means the Italian Softneck variety is usually the first garlic to greet us out in the field.....